What's in a product name?

ATLANTA - You might not think of pecans or kangaroos when you think of home medical equipment (HME), but manufacturers do. 

Manufacturers that presented new products at Medtrade turned to creative colors and product names to appeal to the end user. Pride Mobility's new LC-525 lift chair, for one, comes in colors like fudge and pecan. 

“There's an emotional appeal,” says Alexis Kropp, the company's director of marketing. “On a psychological level, food speaks to comfort.”

Kropp says the colors for Pride's products are inspired by the fashion world, home décor trends and even popular vehicle colors. Among her favorite: herb, truffle, stone and walnut.

Convaid also puts a lot of thought into the emotions that its colors and product names evoke. The company focuses on bright colors and fun names to appeal to children and their parents. Examples: Carrot, Cuddlebug and Champ, which Convaid debuted at Medtrade in
October.

“People don't want a boring wheelchair,” said Denise Heady, PR and marketing coordinator for Convaid. “They want something with a little pizzazz because they use it all the time.”

Convaid says discussions on online forums and Facebook, and input from salespeople in the field drive decisions about colors, product names and even features, including a much-requested addition of three shades of pink.

Roscoe Medical takes customer feedback one step further. Its animal-themed products were inspired by “customer advisory boards”: focus groups of parents and children who came up with product names like the Roscoe Roo nebulizer, which the manufacturer introduced at Medtrade.

“Oftentimes, it's the customer that's the most creative,” said Laura Hummer, vice president of marketing and communications for Roscoe Medical.